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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Since I started this blog, my love for indie music and the artists that create it has grown exponentially. On a daily basis, I force myself (literally) to listen to a minimum of 15 minutes of mainstream radio. I usually start with our local Top 40 station and within two or three minutes, I just can't take anymore of it. More often than not, my exposure to what is out there is limited to satellite radio. Now don't get me wrong. I don't absolutely despise mainstream music. There are actually some decent singers/bands out there. I mean, didn't they all start out as independent artists?This all brings us to tonight's featured artist. When I compare what I see happening in the music world today (both mainstream and indie), I see a vastly glaring difference on how artists support each other. In the world of mainstream, if it doesn't line someone's pocket, no one is going out on a limb to say, "Hey, you gotta check out the new album by such and such who is on a different record label than mine who isn't currently on tour with me..." Indie music? Not even close. The artists that I follow on Twitter and like on Facebook jump at any chance to help other artists get their music heard. Whether it's guest DJ'ing on an internet radio station and spinning the indie tunes they dig, to posting on their personal accounts about someone they like, they get what it takes. They know how important they are to each other, to the bars and coffee shops they play in, to the bloggers who write about them, to the fans who grow to love each and every one of them.Several weeks back, an artist who regular readers of MY Indie Music Blog will recognize, David Gielan, did exactly what I just touched on. He posted a link to Southern California acoustic duo August Melody on Facebook. I thought, if THE greatest indie artist out there likes this band, they must be pretty good, right? I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.

I've been patiently biding my time waiting to introduce August Melody to you. At the time that I first heard them, they hadn't started a Twitter account yet. Only one other time have I posted a blog for an artist that has no presence on Twitter. That's just because I feel like it's a more effective tool in the realm of social networking to help indie artists get heard. Don't ask me for my thoughts on Facebook on this matter. That's a different blog in and of itself for another time. But now, the August Melody Twitter account is off and running, and we all get to reap the benefits!Ray Obenchain and Stephanie McManus are August Melody. August Melody is the self professed "best band ever." Take it as tongue-in-cheek, but I dare you to argue otherwise. The first time I hit play on their song Coffee House from their latest self-titled album, I was obsessed before they hit the chorus.

Call them singer/songwriters, call it folk, call it Americana, call them country, call it alt/country, call it the blues. You can put nearly any tag to their music that you want, as long as you call them what they are. Brilliant. There is not one single thing about them that I don't absolutely love. This is stripping music down to its basics. Write a good song that tells a story. Put an acoustic guitar to the words and bring on a songstress with one of the most beautifully melodic voices, and repeat. Over and over again. For the record, Mr. Obenchain, you're not too shabby on the vocals yourself. Painted in Red is one of the best tracks on the album!Count on me to remain obsessed with August Melody. Period.Now it's up to you, my faithful readers and lovers of all things indie, to show some love to August Melody. There's a reason why you're along for this ride with me. August Melody is that reason right now.

Follow the band on Twitter, like them on Facebook, check them out on ReverbNation and head over to iTunes to download August Melody. iTunes not for you? You can get the album on Amazon as well. And as always, follow along right here on MY Indie Music Blog for all things August Melody!Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

#Crazy8s the world over, rejoice with me! In advance of their soon to be released album, our favorite rockers, Chaser Eight, have given us yet another song of summer! Hot of the presses for your musical enjoyment, please join me in cranking 12 Days Ago!!!

This is another of the songs I was graciously allowed to hear as a demo, and I was really intrigued by what the finished product may have sounded like. I don't need to wonder anymore because the band has delivered yet again... just like they do every time out!Head over to the band's SoundCloud page now to stream 12 Days Ago... and they've even made it another free download, so just click on the download button and take it with you when you go!And don't forget to check out the official Chaser Eight website, follow the Chaser Eight and *AUDRA* on Twitter, like them on Facebook and share their music with the world... like the good #Crazy8s we all are!And as always, follow along here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Chaser Eight as they happen!This one summer...Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Monday, August 18, 2014

How is everyone out there tonight? We (meaning me) here at MY Indie Music Blog are finally back in the saddle again, so to speak, with bringing you more of what you've been coming here for. Life seems to take strange twists and turns sometimes. Often times, those twists and turns are for the better. Now that things have sorted themselves out on a personal level, blogging will be back and better than ever! And what better way to help get back in the swing of things than to jump back on the Indie Music Bus™ bandwagon and bring you some more of the incredible music they help me bring to you?!

It is with great pleasure that I bring to you tonight the August 2014 Indie Music Bus™ Act of the Month, Spaceship Days! Durham, North Carolina, USA, has been gracious enough to share with us one of the hottest bands on the indie music scene today. Made up of Adam Lee Decker, vocals;
Chuck Cox, bass;
Greg Torsone, guitar and
Dave Kress, drums, Spaceship Days are one of the most promising indie acts we have right now that are ready to carry the torch in the ever growing battle against the mainstream!Their latest EP, Saving the Universe, is a prime example of the evolution of indie music. There's a quality to the recording that rivals much of what we're given as options on mainstream radio. The biggest difference being this is what fans of Spaceship Days have come to expect from them and then some. I myself only recently discovered their music thanks to my role as judge on the Indie Music Bus™ Artist of the Month/Year panel. As soon as I hit play when I was first checking out this band, I knew we had a bona fide superstar in the making. Clearly, the majority of the other judges felt the same way!Recent winners of the Music Video of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards for the video for their song December, I have absolutely no doubt that the accolades and awards will continue to pile up for this band for years to come! The rest of the music world better be looking over their shoulders. There's a new kid on the block and Spaceship Days are here to make the music industry right with the fans again!For all things Spaceship Days, check out their official website, follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. Head over to iTunes to download their latest EP as well as all of their other musical offerings. Head over to the Artists in Music Awards voting page and throw as many votes as you can up for them as they are nominated for Best Video, Contemporary, Pop, Alternative and Rock Artist.Check them out all month long over at the official Indie Music Bus™ website as well as on the Bus's Facebook page and Twitter for a month's worth of promotional goodness unmatched in the world of indie music!And as always, check back here with me at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Spaceship Days!Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

No, the title of this post is not a misprint or a slight of sorts in any way. When Little Donkey, the folk/rock indie band out of Chelmsford, Essex, UK, found their way to my Twitter page, I kind of did a double take at the name. Then I found my way to their music and immediately began apologizing for jumping to conclusions, because I was NOT expecting to hear what I did!

Little Donkey are Mat Frost. vocals/guitar/ukulele/mandolin;
Simon Charlton, guitar/stompbox/vocals; Russ Charlton-Ricks, bass and Jim Kemble, drums. Now, for the apologizing part to the band. I'll admit that, once I saw the name of the band, I hadn't the slightest idea what to expect, or what I thought I could expect for that matter. I hit play on their latest EP, Sanctuary, and I was blown away! This folk-rock-funk explosion called Damascus hit my earholes and I've been a sucker for them ever since!!!

Track after track on Sanctuary as well as their debut EP, The Heavy Load Sessions, is packed full of soulful folk and melds just the right amount of rock mixed with a tad bit of grunge, all wrapped up in a nice little eargasmic package for our listening pleasure. When a band like Little Donkey happens along, we know that the gods of indie music are smiling down on us.The Heavy Load Sessions by Little DonkeyNow let's get down to a little business, shall we? The wave of the future of music is upon us. We are now in the era of the crowd-funded campaign and it's sweeping the world. As crowd-funded campaigns go, I have personally backed 24 successful campaigns, and a handful or so of ones that didn't quite make it. I took those losses personally because I felt as if I was as invested in the campaigns as much as the indie artists that I supported. Let's see what we can do to add number 25 to the list. The band has very recently started their own PledgeMusic campaign to help with recording their next EP. I for one am a very big fan of the crowd-funding campaigns as it gives the artist complete control over their art and allows them to put a product out there that they know their fans want from them. This isn't going to be some crap auto-tuned, dressed up for the teenage girls who keep the wallets fat of the so-called experts of today's mainstream music. No, this is going to be some more of what I already love about Little Donkey.First and foremost, let's all head over to the band's PledgeMusic page and help them record their next EP! Then, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, head over to their BandCamp page to download The Heavy Load Sessions and Sanctuary, and check out their official website for all things Little Donkey!And as always, make sure you check back here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Little Donkey as they happen.Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Monday, August 11, 2014

I know a lot of people, indie artists in particular, wonder exactly what it takes, or needs to be done, to find their way onto MY Indie Music Blog. Consideration really is as simple as following me on Twitter. Once an indie artist finds their way to me thru Twitter, they are automatically on my musical radar. Once said artist has intrigued me enough, I will then spend a minimum of 2 weeks immersing myself in the music/videos I am able to find streaming online. They are then placed on the growing list of pending blog posts. Then, there are the rare occasions when, such as today, an artist finds their way to my Twitter page and completely blows me away.

The 286 is a 6 piece classical inspired indie rock n roll band out of London, England, made up of Spencer Hamnabuss, vocals/guitars; Tom Goddard, drums/vocals; Nahum Canoura, violin; Rafael Piamolini, keyboards; Romain Malan, cello and James Driffill, bass/vocals. Simply reading that description on their Twitter bio page was enough to peak my interest. Once I headed over to their BandCamp page, it was definitely on!EP by The 286Just the simplest of notions that this could be some mash up of sorts between styles such as the Beatles and ELO had me nearly salivating at what may be. Let me tell you, these guys do not disappoint! While I've never personally been a fan of classical or orchestral music, anytime you throw cellos and violins into the mix with some good old fashioned rock n roll, you can NEVER go wrong!

Something tells me that we'll be hearing quite a bit more about The 286 in the weeks and months to come. There is no way that the London indie underground is going to be able to keep the wraps on these guys. Head over to the band's BandCamp page today to download their latest self-titled EP The 286 as well as their 2011 debut EP A Victory for Batallion. Follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook. And as always, follow along here at MY Indie Music Blog for updates on The 286 as they happen!Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Summertime is winding down here in the Northeast. It always seems to end sooner here than in most other places. But have no fear, because our good friends down in New Haven, Connecticut have hooked us up with THE song of the summer!

While Audra, Pat, Billy, Aaron and Pete are hard at work in the studio bringing us more monumental Chaser Eight tunes, they've graciously given even more of themselves than we may deserve by serving up Always Be Yours as a FREE download on their SoundCloud page!I got to hear the demo for this song several weeks back and was really hopeful that it would make the cut for the new album. While it wasn't quite the fit I'd hoped it would be, at least I get to hear it in its final digital glory. As soon as you hit play, you instantly realize what I've known since day one... Chaser Eight NEVER fails to deliver!So head over to their SoundCloud page now and hit that download button! Let's show them the love they deserve from #Crazy8s all over the world!Download Always Be Yourshere and don't forget to follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook so that you'll be in the know when the new album drops.And as always, follow along right here at MY Indie Music Blog for updates on everything Chaser Eight as they happen!Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.